


Vacation

by Kittenmommy



Series: Loki and Pepper Potts: Conversations, Drinks, and Other Really Bad Ideas [24]
Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Established Relationship, F/M, Fatherhood, Fluff, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2012-09-09
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenmommy/pseuds/Kittenmommy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s up, Pep?”</p><p>She’s frowning at him.  “You want to take a <i>Frost</i> Giant to <i>the Caribbean</i>, Tony?”</p><p>“No, I want to take <i>two</i> Frost Giants to the Caribbean.  Didn’t Hel tell you that you guys are invited too?”</p><p>Pepper sighs.  “They’re not going to enjoy themselves there, Tony.  It’s waaaay too hot.  Tell me that you’ve <i>really</i> thought this through.”</p><hr/><p>Some fluffy fluff as an antidote to the past two installments in this series!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> _The Avengers_ belongs to Marvel.
> 
> "[Margaritaville](http://www.4shared.com/mp3/_Bl1NmsU/06_Margaritaville.html?)" is by Jimmy Buffett.
> 
> "[Kokomo](http://www.4shared.com/mp3/5fj6qCJO/25_Kokomo.html?)" is by The Beach Boys.
> 
> And I'm not making any money from this.

Loki wakes up because something is _wrong_.

Pepper is sleeping deeply beside him; he can hear the even rhythm of her breathing in the darkness.

Frowning, he gets out of bed.

He walks over to Hel’s little bed and can see in the dim lighting that it’s empty.

His frown deepens.

He leaves the bedroom and goes down the hall to the living room.

“Lights please, JARVIS.”

The lights come up, and Hel’s not _there_ , either.

“Where is Hel?” he asks.

“Miss Lokidóttir is in Mister Stark’s bed, Mister Laufeyson,” the AI answers immediately.

Loki vanishes.

* * *

He reminds himself not to act without thinking this time, as he’d done back at the hospital in what now seems like millennia ago.

 _Stark is trustworthy,_ he thinks as he appears in the bedroom. _He would not dishonor Hel._

And there she is, lying next to Stark. She’s sleeping deeply, a slight smile on her lips.

Stark is lying with his head by her feet. He’s wrapped up in the blankets but still shivering with the cold.

He studies them for a long moment.

 _She is no longer my little girl,_ he suddenly thinks. And he realizes that she’s not a little girl _at all_ , and hasn’t been one for a very long time. It was only her banishment to Niflheim that had prolonged her innocence and made her seem childlike.

_This is what I’ve wished for, for so many years. Hel, free from Niflheim. And yet…_

“JARVIS,” he finally says very quietly. “Where are the blankets?”

“In the closet behind you and to your left,” JARVIS replies in an equally hushed voice.

Loki opens the closet, and the light inside automatically comes on.

“Third drawer down, Mister Laufeyson.”

Loki pulls the drawer open, finds a heavy comforter, and drags it out.

He closes the drawer and exits the closet, pulling the door shut behind him.

Loki drapes the comforter over Stark and his nest of blankets, and then moves to Hel’s side of the bed.

He watches her sleep for a little while, and then he leans over to kiss her forehead and smooth back her hair, exactly as he’d done when she was a little girl.

And then he’s gone.

* * *

Pepper finds Loki in the Avengers’ kitchen, a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.

“It’s three in the morning, Loki,” she tells him. “What are you doing? And where’s Hel?”

“I am waiting for this to cool enough that I can drink it,” he replies. “And Hel… she is in Stark’s bed.”

Pepper blinks.

“And where’s Tony?”

“Stark is also in his bed.”

She blinks again.

“Wait… Hel and Tony are in bed… _together_.”

“Yes.” He picks up his coffee and blows on it.

“Hel and Tony… are in bed… _together_ ,” she repeats.

“I said so, did I not?” Irritation is beginning to creep into his voice.

“And you _let Tony live_?”

He looks up at her. “Yes.”

She is silent for a moment.

“OK, so… who are you and what’ve you done with Loki?”

He sighs. “She must have had troubling dreams… but she is sleeping peacefully now, and so I did not wish to disturb her.”

Pepper gets a mug out of the cupboard and fixes herself a cup of coffee.

“Are you OK?” she asks when she joins him at the table.

He sighs. 

“For so long, I’ve wanted only for Hel to be free of Niflheim, free of her curse… and now it has happened and I realize that she is no longer a child, and that even if she is able to live outside of Niflheim, I will _never_ truly have my little girl back. She was taken from me… she has grown up, and I missed it.”

“Oh, Loki,” she murmurs, and reaches across the table to take his hand.

“I want for her to be happy… to have a life. But I just…”

“You just wish you could hold onto her for a little longer.”

“Yes.” He picks up his coffee and blows on it again. “It’s foolish… but somehow I thought that if her curse were lifted, everything between us would go back to the way it was before. But it _cannot_ , for she is now a woman grown.” 

“Some part of her will _always_ be your little girl, you know. But yes, she’s grown up now. And I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you.”

He nods, saying nothing.

“But Loki, look how _different_ she is now… she’s really coming out of her shell. And that’s a _good_ thing.”

“Yes, it is.” 

He takes a cautious sip of his coffee and pulls away from the mug with a _hiss_ of pain. He puts the mug back down on the table and pushes it away.

“You might have missed her growing from a child into a young woman, but you’re not missing _this_. She’s really blossoming, coming into her own. And she’s going to need you to be there for her, to give her advice and yeah, probably a shoulder to cry on when things get tough. And you _will_ be there for _those_ things. And that’s important too, you know?”

He smiles slightly. “I suppose.”

“I’m not a parent, but you know what? I think this might end up being a tougher job than _raising_ her.”

He sighs again. 

“I think you are probably right about that. It will be difficult for me to step back as I should… my first instinct is to rush in and fix everything that I can. But if she is going to live among the living, she will need to make her own mistakes and learn from them.”

She smiles. “See? You’re a great dad.”

“Oh, Pepper. I truly hope so.”

* * *

Tony wakes to the smells of coffee brewing and of bacon frying.

And he’s warm… _too_ warm, probably because he’s now alone in the bed and covered with blankets.

“Good morning, sir,” JARVIS says. “It is eight thirty-five AM on Saturday, November thirtieth, twenty-thirteen. The weather forecast for today is – ”

“Yeah, OK, that’s enough, JARVIS.”

He gets out of bed, throws on a shirt, and pads barefoot out to the kitchen.

Hel is standing at the counter. She’s still in her long white nightgown and she’s cutting up vegetables on a cutting board.

He watches her for a moment. “You’ve got some crazy knife skills,” he finally says, and she jumps in surprise.

“Tony… I did not hear you come in!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s all right. Would you like some coffee?”

“You made coffee?”

She smiles at him. “You like coffee in the mornings, yes?”

“Yeah, definitely.” 

He gets a mug out of the cupboard and pours himself a cup. Wordlessly, she hands him the little insulated jug full of cold half-and-half. 

“Where’d you learn how to do all this?” he asks, gesturing at the frying bacon and the cut-up vegetables.

“Food Network!” she tells him, and smiles brilliantly.

Tony laughs. “At least it’s good for _something_ , I guess. Oh hey, thanks for getting me that extra blanket last night. I was really freezing!”

She turns to look at him, frowning.

“I did not get you a blanket, though I would have had I known you were uncomfortable.”

Now Tony’s frowning too.

“JARVIS?” he asks, sipping his coffee.

“Mister Laufeyson put the blanket on you, sir.”

Tony sprays coffee everywhere, coughing and choking.

“What?” he finally manages.

“Mister Laufeyson put the blanket on you, sir,” JARVIS repeats.

“Did he see that Hel was in bed with me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And he _let me live_?”

“Apparently so, sir.”

“I’m still asleep, aren’t I? This is some kind of really strange dream.”

“No, sir.”

“Oh sure, see, that’s what you’d say in my dream if you were trying to convince me I’m not dreaming!” Tony points an accusing finger in the air. “You’re not gonna fool _me_!”

“I would never dream of it, sir.”

“No one likes a wiseass, JARVIS.”

Hel laughs. “Oh, Tony, you are so funny! This is even better than Food Network.”

Tony catches himself before he can make one of his usual smartass remarks. 

“Thanks,” he says instead.

He sits down at the table and watches her remove the bacon from the frying pan and put it on a rack to drain.

She picks up a bowl and pours its contents into the hot skillet, and it sizzles.

“Eggs,” she tells him with a smile. “JARVIS told me that you like vegetable omelets and bacon for breakfast.”

“Hel… this is incredible!”

“You haven’t even tasted it yet!” She finds a spatula and manipulates the eggs for a bit, and then she dumps the vegetables on top. After a moment, she takes the spatula and tries to fold the omelet over. “I just hope this – oh no!”

“What?”

She sighs. “I’m sorry, this is turning out more like scrambled eggs. What a nightmare!”

Tony laughs. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

She gets plates from the cupboard and serves up the bacon and the eggs.

“Scrambled Egg Nightmare,” Tony says when she sets the plate in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Tony… I wanted it to be perfect, and – ”

“No, Hel, _I’m_ sorry. I shouldn’t have said that… I was making a joke, but I guess it was stupid. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, I’m sure it’ll taste _great_. And hey, _my_ omelet attempt wasn’t even as good as this… just ask Pepper!”

She smiles hesitantly, and then sits down with him and watches as he samples the omelet.

“Is it OK?” she asks after a moment.

“It’s _delicious_!”

She frowns. “Really?” she asks suspiciously.

“I swear to God, Hel, it’s really good! Best omelet I’ve ever had… hey, you can even ask your dad if I’m telling the truth!”

She smiles slightly and picks up her fork.

Tony sips his coffee. “Listen, I have an idea.”

“Oh?”

“I think a change of scenery would do you some good. So I was thinking maybe all of us – you, me, Pepper, your dad – we could go down to my house in Grand Cayman for a while. Lie on the beach and get some sun, maybe swim with the stingrays… what do you think?”

She stares down at her plate. “It is nice there?” she finally asks.

“Oh yeah, it’s great. White beaches, water so blue and so clear that you can’t believe it… it’s like Heaven on Earth!”

She looks up at him and smiles. “All right, Tony. If you think it will be fun.”

Tony grins. “JARVIS? Make the arrangements.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you and Pepper can go get clothes later. Sound good?”

“Mmmm hmm.”

“Stark,” a new voice says.

“Sir,” JARVIS begins.

“Yeah, Mister Laufeyson is here. Already on it, JARVIS.” Tony turns in his chair and looks up at Loki. “There’s coffee if you want some. And Scrambled Egg Nightmare and bacon and oh my God, I didn’t _touch_ her I swear to God so _please don’t kill me_!”

Loki rolls his eyes. “I am not here to _kill you_ , Stark. Why do you always think me in a murderous mood?”

“Dunno. Just paranoid, I guess.”

Loki shakes his head.

“Good morning, Father,” Hel says. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Did you?”

She grins. “Oh yes. Yes, I did!”

He nods. “Good. And Hel… did Stark invite you to his bed last night?”

Tony’s eyes are huge. _Uh oh,_ he thinks.

Hel is frowning. “Well… not initially, no. I could not sleep, and so I went to his bed. After I did a bit of persuading, he agreed that I could sleep there with him.”

Loki sighs. “Hel, you cannot do things like that. Among other things, it is quite rude.”

“No, it’s OK, really – ” Tony begins.

“No, it is _not_ , Stark. Hel cannot simply climb into bed with people without asking permission.”

Hel looks at the ground. “You are right, Father. I am sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to, Hel.”

She looks at Tony and bites her lip. “I am sorry, Tony. I should not have intruded as I did. Please forgive me; I will not do it again.”

“It’s OK, Hel. Really. It’s not like last night was the first time I’ve woken up next to a girl with no idea how she’d gotten there!”

Hel frowns. “Do women often sneak into your bed? Why does JARVIS not alert the others?”

“Uh… maybe you should ask Natasha to explain that to you.”

Her frown deepens. “All right, Tony.”

He looks up at Loki again. “Seriously, Loki, it’s fine. And she slept well!”

Hel smiles. “Oh, I _did_! I felt so safe with you, Tony.”

Tony picks up his coffee cup. 

“Well… um… if you want, you can stay with me again tonight… _if_ it’s OK with your dad, that is. Same rule, though: _no touching_.”

Hel looks up at Loki. “Is it all right, Father?”

“You are an adult, Hel,” he says, and it suddenly occurs to Tony that Loki looks a little sad. “It is your decision to make… yours and Stark’s. Not mine.”

She grins. “Thank you, Father!”

The emerald scarf draped around Loki’s neck suddenly catches Tony’s eye. Without even thinking about it, he reaches up to touch it.

“What is this… is this silk?”

Loki is taken aback by this sudden change in topic. “Yes, Stark,” he says with a frown.

“Can I…?” but he’s already slipping it off Loki’s neck as he speaks.

“By all means, Stark. I do not think that the color suits you, though.”

“No, it’s…” Tony pulls the scarf through his fingers, feeling its texture.

Then he looks up at Hel: “Hey, I have an idea!”

“ _Oh?_ ” Loki’s tone is dangerous, and Tony suddenly realizes how that had sounded.

“No, no, not… _that_!” he clarifies hastily. “I mean an idea about her problem!” He stands up. “C’mon guys, let’s go down to the lab!”

“I cannot, Stark,” Loki says. “I’m going to SHIELD headquarters to see Director Fury. We will be meeting with more of the captured HYDRA personnel today.”

“And by ‘meeting with’, you mean…”

Loki’s grin is absolutely feral. “Precisely, Stark.”

“Want help?” Tony asks with a grin that nearly matches.

“No, Stark. Thank you. I can handle it on my own.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can… it’s just that I wouldn’t mind having a piece of that action.”

“I think it would better if you and Hel went to your lab… I believe you said you have an idea?”

“Oh. Oh, yeah. Right!” He turns to Hel. “Come on.”

“All right, Tony.”

“JARVIS, get Doctor Banner out of bed and tell him to meet us in – ”

“Doctor Banner is visiting his parents in Chappaqua, sir.”

Tony looks a bit deflated. “Oh… that’s right. I totally forgot. Well, all right, get him on a video call.” 

“Yes, sir.”

Tony holds up the scarf. “Can I borrow this, Loki? I’ll give it back, I just want to - ”

“Keep it, Stark. It is yours,” Loki says, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. 

“Thanks! Come on, Hel,” he says over his shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”

* * *

Bruce is already on the line when they reach the lab.

“Bruce!” Tony comes barreling into the lab, dragging Hel by the hand. “I have an idea!”

Bruce sighs. “Do I even _want_ to know?”

“Look!” He brandishes Loki’s green scarf at the screen.

“Nice. It isn’t really your color, though. Why don’t you give it to Loki? It looks like something he’d – ”

“Yeah, it’s actually his. But listen… what if we were to break Hel’s cuffs down… spin the metal into really light strands and weave them into a sort of ‘cloth’.”

On the screen, Bruce leans back in his chair, thinking. “Weave it thin enough, and it might not affect her magic.”

Tony grins. “Yep, I was thinking the same thing.”

Bruce is chewing on his lower lip, deep in thought.

“What if…” he finally begins, leaning forward in his chair. “What if you made her gloves… only just fingers, without the actual glove part. And little… uh fingergloves for her toes.”

“Go on,” Tony encourages.

“Send her back to Niflheim to ‘regenerate’… you’ll have to cut the cuffs off her anyway to get the metal. When she’s whole again, have her come back and try out the fingergloves.”

“Stop the rot before it gets a chance to really get started,” Tony says. “Yeah, I like it.”

“And hopefully if we can weave it thin enough, neither her magic nor her sense of touch will be affected.” He frowns and looks over at Hel. “This would just be a temporary thing… we’d keep working on a cure, of course.”

“Well yeah, of course,” Tony agrees. “So, what do you think, Hel? Do you think it’s worth a shot?”

She smiles and holds out her wrists. “Go ahead, cut them off. If nothing else, it will be good to have my magic back!”

* * *

After Tony gets the cuffs off Hel’s wrists and ankles, he sends her down to see Pepper.

“Tell her we’re all going to the house in Grand Cayman, and you need some stuff,” he’d said.

And now he’s instructing JARVIS: “Break those cuffs down, would ya? Make the thread nice and thin.”

“Yes sir.” 

He holds up Loki’s scarf. “Make the weave really fine, like this. Finer, even, if you can manage it.”

“Yes sir. Scanning now. And Miss Potts is on the line for you.”

“Put her on the main screen, JARVIS.”

“Yes, sir.”

Pepper appears on the screen. “What’s up, Pep?”

She’s frowning at him. “You want to take a _Frost_ Giant to _the Caribbean_ , Tony?”

“No, I want to take _two_ Frost Giants to the Caribbean. Didn’t Hel tell you that you guys are invited too?”

Pepper sighs. “They’re not going to enjoy themselves there, Tony. It’s waaaay too hot. Tell me that you’ve _really_ thought this through.”

He frowns. “Hel doesn’t want to go?”

She gives him an exasperated look. “Of _course_ she wants to go, Tony. She’d let _you_ take her camping on the side of an active volcano. She just wants to be with you and make you happy. I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s insisting.”

Tony thinks about this. “Well, shit,” he finally says.

“Succinctly put, sir.”

“Fuck off, JARVIS.” He leans back in his chair. “Did you order the stuff for her? You know, a bathing suit and other stuff?”

“Yes, because she _insisted_. I _still_ think it’s a stupid idea, and I told her so.”

“Yeah, I’m really good at those. Hey, did Hel tell you where she slept last night?”

“Yes, Tony. I’m amazed you’re still alive.”

“What’s up with Loki, anyway? He seemed kind of weird… weirder than usual, even.”

Pepper sighs again. “He’s… going through some stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“He’s realizing that Hel isn’t a little girl anymore… it’s hard for him.”

Tony nods. “OK.”

“Sir?” JARVIS interrupts. “The cuffs are broken down and ready to be spun into thread and woven.”

“Fabricate.”

“Yes sir. Estimated time until completion: four hours, fifty-three minutes, and twenty-seven seconds.”

“Great… I have some arrangements to make.”

“Tony – ” Pepper begins.

“Sorry, can’t talk now. I have a Caribbean vacation to arrange!”

* * *

Tony ends the call to Hel and sits back in his chair, waiting.

A moment later, she appears.

“They are finished?” she asks, excited.

He smiles. “Sure are!” He holds out a tray with ten long “fingers” and ten little “toes” woven in what looks like silver fabric. “Ready to try them?”

“Yes!”

“How do you want to do this? Do you want to put the fingers on, and I’ll do your toes?”

“All right.” She slips her shoes off and offers him her foot.

They manage to get the little sheaths of woven metal onto her fingers and toes.

“Now what?” she asks.

“Now, we wait. We see if you start to rot. JARVIS?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Get Doctor Banner on the line. Put him on the main screen.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, Bruce appears on the screen.

“So?” he asks without preamble.

Hel holds up her hands to show her silver fingers.

Bruce smiles. “Great. I really hope this works!”

“As do I.”

“Hey, can you feel your magic?” Tony suddenly asks.

She suddenly grins. “Yes! I didn’t even think to mention it, because I did not lose touch with it at all!”

“How long have they been on? Bruce asks.

“About ten minutes,” Tony replies.

“OK, roll one down and see if you see any rot.”

Hel holds out her hand, and Tony checks her index finger, careful not to remove the little sheath from her finger entirely.

“I think we’re good here!” Tony says, looking up at the screen with a grin. “No rot!”

Bruce grins too. “That’s fantastic!”

Tony stands and goes over to one of the lab fridges. He pulls the door open and produces a bottle of champagne from inside.

“Tony – ” Bruce begins with a frown.

“Yeah, I know… no food in the lab fridges.” He goes over to one of the cabinets and takes down two beakers.

“ _Tony!_ ” Bruce exclaims, appalled. “You can’t drink out of those!”

“Why not?” Tony shrugs. “They’re clean. They’ve been through the autoclave and everything!”

On the screen, Bruce puts his face in his hands.

Tony opens the champagne with a loud _pop!_ and pours. He walks over to Hel, offering her a beaker full of bubbly.

“To my brilliance,” he proposes. Hel giggles and clicks her beaker against his.

“Humble, much?” Bruce asks, rolling his eyes.

“It’s hard to be humble when you’re as amazing and brilliant as I am,” Tony says modestly, sipping his champagne.

“Right. OK, well, I’m glad this worked. And I’ll be back Monday, OK?”

“We are going on a vacation to the Caribbean!” Hel informs Bruce.

“The Caribbean? Hel… it’s _really_ sunny there. And _hot_.”

She shrugs. “Tony says that it is beautiful.”

“It is… but I’m not sure you’re going to enjoy it.”

“I will enjoy it,” she says, glancing at Tony. “I have no doubt.”

Bruce sighs. “Just be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen.”

“I will. Don’t worry, Bruce. All will be well.”

“Wait ‘til you see what I have planned,” Tony tells Hel smugly. “We’re going to the beach!”

“Oh, Tony. I have never been to the beach!”

“Tony…” Bruce just sighs again. “Look, just… keep an eye on her, OK? She could end up with heatstroke or sunstroke really easily.”

“Bruce, you worry too much!” Tony tells him. “Trust me, it’s going to be fine.” He turns to Hel. “We’re leaving in a little bit, so why don’t you go get ready? Put on your bathing suit, because as soon as we get there, we’re hittin’ the beach!”

* * *

Loki finds Pepper in the Avengers’ living room, watching Food Network with Steve, Clint, and Natasha.

She looks up as he walks over. “I won’t ask you how your day was,” she says.

With a disapproving look, Steve gets up from the sofa and walks away without a word, heading up the hall toward his bedroom.

Loki sighs and joins them on the sofa.

“Don’t mind him,” Clint says to Loki. “He’s the product of a more innocent era.”

Natasha snorts. “Do you really think things like that didn’t go on back in the forties, too? It just wasn’t _discussed_ , that’s all.”

“Yeah, but you’ll never convince Steve,” Clint tells her. “The United States is _better_ than that! Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, _et cetera ad nauseum_.”

Natasha snorts.

“How did it go with Hel today?” Loki asks, changing the subject.

Pepper smiles. “Tony said it went _great_. No sign of rot.” And now she frowns. “They were determined to go on their vacation… they left a little bit ago.” She shrugs. “We could fly down and join them tomorrow, if you _really_ want to… but it’s _hot_ down there.”

Loki shrugs. “Perhaps.”

“JARVIS? Can you alert us when Mister Stark and Miss Lokidóttir arrive at their destination?”

“They have not actually left Stark Tower, Miss Potts.”

Pepper and Loki exchange a look. “JARVIS,” Pepper finally says. “Where _are_ they?”

* * *

There’s a stranger behind the bar in Tony’s penthouse. He’s making a frozen drink in the blender.

“Hello,” he says as Loki and Pepper walk in. “Can I help you?”

“I… where is Mister Stark?” Pepper asks.

The stranger smiles. “Mister Stark and his guest are out on the patio.”

“The patio,” Pepper repeats. “It’s _freezing_ out there!”

The stranger shrugs, unwilling to comment. But his face says it all: _Those people are nuts!_

“Come on,” Pepper murmurs to Loki. They make their way to the patio door.

Pepper pulls the door open.

It’s snowing.

And there’s music:

“ _But there's booze in the blender,_ " Jimmy Buffett is singing, " _And soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on. Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville, searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt. Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, but I know it’s my own damn fault._ ”

“I don’t believe this,” Pepper murmurs.

The penthouse patio has been transformed.

There are palm trees in planters everywhere, with festive lights strung between them.

There’s a thick layer of sand spread out over the entire patio; Pepper’s feet actually sink down into it as they walk. 

Something crunches under her feet, and she looks down and sees a crushed seashell… and she realizes that they’re _everywhere_ , just like on a beach.

“Margaritaville” ends, and now The Beach Boys are singing:

“ _Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take you, Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama…_ ”

“What in the name of all the Norns…?” Loki finally says.

Pepper spies two beach chairs, and motions Loki to follow her.

“ _Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go? Jamaica. Off the Florida Keys, there’s a place called Kokomo. That’s where you wanna go, to get away from it all._ ”

The bartender walks past Pepper and Loki. He’s carrying a tray with a huge yellow frozen drink and a crystal decanter full of scotch.

Pepper and Loki follow him.

“ _Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand. We’ll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band, down in Kokomo._ ”

And there are Hel and Tony, lounging on the beach chairs, looking for all the world like they expect to get a tan on this snowy Manhattan night.

Hel is barefoot, and she’s wearing the little black and white zebra-patterned bikini that Pepper had helped her pick out earlier. And Tony…

Tony’s wearing a warm winter hat. He’s covered with a couple of thick blankets, the topmost of which sports a long electrical cord that snakes off toward the house. He’s holding out a glass in his gloved hand, patiently waiting for the bartender to refill it.

“ _Afternoon delight, cocktails and moonlit nights. That dreamy look in your eye gives me a tropical contact high, way down in Kokomo._ ”

“Your banana daiquiri, ma’am,” the bartender says, handing the yellow frozen drink to Hel.

She laughs and says something to him that Pepper and Loki can’t quite hear.

The bartender retreats back to the penthouse with his tray.

“ _Everybody knows a little place like Kokomo. Now if you wanna go and get away from it all, go down to Kokomo._ ”

Still holding his glass of scotch, Tony reaches over so that Hel can click her glass against his. He says something to her, and she laughs delightedly.

Pepper looks over at Loki. He’s watching Tony and Hel, and his eyes are suspiciously bright.

“ _Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo. We'll get there fast, and then we'll take it slow. That's where we wanna go, way down to Kokomo._ ” 

Pepper touches his arm. “Hey,” she says quietly. “Are you OK?”

He turns to her, wiping at his eyes with one long finger.

“Yes,” he says nodding. And then he smiles. “Everything is wonderful.”

She takes his arm and leads him away.

FINIS.

**Author's Note:**

> References:
> 
> "Scrambled Egg Nightmare": that's what I call my failed attempts at omelets... Kittendaddy just laughs and eats them anyway! :D
> 
> We've done [the stingray swim](http://www.stingraycitytrips.com/info/about_stingraycity.shtml) on Grand Cayman Island three times now, and it's _amazing_!


End file.
